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Top-seeded Broncos in waiting game while awaiting playoff opener

By Joan Niesen The Denver Post

Posted:
12/31/2013 12:01:00 AM MST

Every week, the televisions in the Broncos' locker room get a new star. One week it's Robert Griffin III, the next week Andrew Luck, the next week Philip Rivers, each earning his screen time in the days before the Broncos face off against his respective team.

Each Monday, the loop of film and the opponent are new. By Thursday, it's hard to see how anyone hasn't committed the sequences to memory.

The Denver Broncos starters on the sideline in the second half vs the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum Dec. 29, 2013 Oakland, CA. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

That all changes this week. Not only are the loops longer — Chiefs, Chargers, Colts, lather, rinse, repeat — but the Broncos don't have a clue which player to focus their energy upon. By virtue of their first-round playoff bye, the Broncos have the weekend off. They won't know their divisional-round opponent until the Bengals-Chargers playoff game ends Sunday afternoon. All the Broncos know now is they won't play Cincinnati — the Bengals are the No. 3 seed in the AFC — and that they must sit back and wait. If the Chargers win at Cincinnati, they play in Denver on Jan. 12. Otherwise, the Broncos play the winner of the Kansas City at Indianapolis game.

A year ago, the Broncos were in the same position, riding 11 consecutive victories into a playoff bye. They sat and watched the 10-6 Ravens beat the Colts. They readied themselves for an opponent that on paper looked inferior.

They lost.

"It doesn't matter who your opponent is," said safety David Bruton. "Every team has the capability of beating you. It's the NFL, especially the playoffs, and it's high competition, full throttle all the way around."

The Broncos learned plenty of lessons from their heartbreak of a year ago, chief among them how to best go about the week off before they play. Denver's players have Tuesday and Wednesday off before practicing Thursday, Friday and perhaps Saturday to keep themselves in a routine, but it won't be until Monday that coach John Fox and his team start planning for a specific opponent.

"When you get in the playoffs, they all present problems," Fox said. "That's why they have playoffs. We'll just wait and see. We'll do some work on all three of the potential opponents."

QB Andrew Luck and the Colts beat the Broncos 39-33 in Indianapolis this season. The teams could have a playoff rematch Jan. 12 in Denver. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Against the three teams with a chance to play in Denver on Jan. 12, the Broncos went 3-2 in 2013. They beat the Chiefs twice, went 1-1 against the Chargers and lost their game against the Colts at Indianapolis. The knee-jerk response to that record would be that the Chiefs are the best matchup, but Alex Smith and the Kansas City offense have been playing better since they last faced the Broncos. The Chiefs sat their starters in Week 17 and nearly defeated the Chargers in San Diego.

The Chargers, the third AFC West team to earn a playoff berth, are perhaps even scarier. Although they made it to the postseason by the skin of their teeth — and a missed officiating call — the Chargers have a four-game winning streak, and one of those victories came against the Broncos in Denver. What first-year coach Mike McCoy has done with San Diego's offense and Rivers' game this season has been nothing short of remarkable, and against a weak Denver defense, the Chargers would have to be confident.

As for the Colts, a playoff game might just be the most emotionally charged matchup of all three potential games, though the teams aren't division rivals. You have to know former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning hopes for any other matchup, and if Luck and the Colts end up marching into Denver, Manning will do anything in his power to rectify what happened in October. The Colts might also be the weakest potential opponent of the bunch; after starting strong, they went 5-3 in the second half of the season with losses to the Rams, Cardinals and Bengals.

For now, though, there's little for the Broncos to do but sit back, wait and focus on themselves. They have games this weekend to watch in a sort of live film study, and they're looking to get any advantage they can from their weekend off.

"Guys are going to be studying things, studying tendencies," Bruton said. "That's just another jump we get to have over another team. We've got a whole other week, and we get to watch them play in another high-pressure situation."

A year after a bye week in the playoffs did them no good, the Broncos are that much smarter, that much more aware. Even if they don't yet know their opponent, they're hoping to prove they learned their lesson from a season ago.

The Broncos lost to the Colts 39-33 in an emotional, high-scoring shootout at Indianapolis in October, but on Peyton Manning's turf the Broncos should have a serious edge.

Kansas City Chiefs

11-5 record, 0-2 vs. the Broncos

Denver has had the Chiefs figured out all season, especially their exceptional pass rush, which didn't get a hand on Manning. Even so, the Kansas City offense has improved since the last time the Chiefs played the Broncos.

San Diego Chargers

9-7 record, 1-1 vs. the Broncos

The Chargers are riding a four-game winning streak, and they had the Broncos' number in December. Denver's defense will have a significant challenge if it's dealt Philip Rivers as its first playoff opponent.